Department of State Security staff unhappy with Buhari over his appointment of an unpopular boss to head the agency

STAFF at the Department of State Security (DSS) have threatened to undermine President Muhammadu Buhari's re-election bid in response to his recent decision to recall Yusuf Bichi from retirement and impose him on the agency as its new director-general.

On September 13, President Buhari named the Kano-born Mr Bichi as the substantive replacement for as replacement for Matthew Seiyefa, who had been acting director-general following the sacking of Lawal Daura on August 17. Vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo had fired Mr Daura while serving as acting president over his role in the infamous siege on the National assembly by his operatives.

Following the sacking of Mr Daura, the Bayelsa State-born Mr Seiyefa was the most-senior DSS official at the time, assumed office with promises to perform the agency. His approach was very popular with DSS operatives as marked a big difference from the approach of his  predecessor, who was infamous for his crude and controversial approach to law enforcement.

Within his first two weeks, in office, Mr Seiyefa’s reforms were already being felt with the gradual release of illegally-detained suspects from custody and the appointment of the agency’s first spokesperson in three years. However, his position was allegedly being threatened by top presidential aides, especially the chief of staff, Abba Kyari.

Mr Kyari, was said to be unhappy about the sacking of Mr Daura, tried to mitigate Mr Seiyefa’s control over the DSS, ordering him to undo some administrative decisions he had taken, including postings and only operate as directed by the presidency going forward. Mr Seiyefa rebuffed attempts to make him subservient to the chief of staff,  arguing that he would only report to the national security adviser as legally required but he later caved in under immense pressure from the presidency, reversing some of his decisions.

Following this pressure, DSS staff who say they will reject any attempt to further deface the image of the agency by dragging it into politics, are unhappy with the presidency. Mr Seiyefa also had the support of some leaders from southern Nigeria, who warned the president against removing the only southerner in the core national security and intelligence architecture but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

After Mr Seiyefa was sacked, this same group of concerned leaders from the southern and central parts of Nigeria accused the president of fuelling ethnic and religious division in the country. They said President Buhari deliberately sidestepped senior officers who were capable of being appointed DSS director-general and recalled Mr Bichi from retirement because he does not believe in Nigeria’s unity.

It now appears that President Buhari faces the most potent threat to his re-election not from political opponents or critics like southern leaders but from disgruntled elements deeply embedded in Nigeria’s security architecture. In the first week of Mr Bichi’s appointment, at least four DSS directors expressed displeasure over the development.

Also, eight senior and five junior officers across different departments and directorates complained that the appointment would greatly hinder their own career progression, with many who belong to the class of mid and late 1980s fearing they will not have a chance to produce a director-general before they retirement. Another officer from northern Nigeria condemned Mr Bichi’s appointment as threatening his own career, saying he would not forgive President Buhari for bringing him out of retirement.

He added: “This man retired since 2015, he got a security consultant deal with Lawal Daura that kept him near the DSS for two years until 2017, so why was he recalled three years after retirement? I am a northerner and I do not agree with this move by the president because it will destabilise the service.

“We believe the president took this action to preserve himself in office but we will ensure he does not get a re-election. In-between working for the opposition and frustrating the Boko Haram war, we will get him out of office.”